WÒRDS FÒR YÒU

In a sweeping rebuke of immigration enforcement practices under the Trump administration, a federal judge has condemned the arrest and deportation of a Maryland man to a notorious Salvadoran prison, calling the government’s actions “wholly lawless.” The court ordered that the man, Kilmar Abrego Garcia, be returned to the United States immediately. Abrego Garcia, a 29-year-old Salvadoran national, was detained by immigration agents and deported last month—despite holding a valid work permit issued by the Department of Homeland Security. He was legally employed as a sheet metal apprentice in Maryland while pursuing a journeyman license. His wife is a U.S. citizen. Notably, Abrego Garcia was never charged with or convicted of any crime. The judge found that federal authorities had no legal authority to arrest, detain, or deport him, especially in light of a 2019 immigration court ruling explicitly barring his removal to El Salvador due to the credible threat of gang-related p...

April 6, 2025 — In a historic step that signals a significant shift in global economic dynamics, eleven nations from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) have announced plans to reduce their reliance on the U.S. dollar in favor of their own local currencies. Since World War II, the U.S. dollar has reigned as the dominant global currency, accounting for approximately 80% of international trade, including the purchase of oil and other critical raw materials. However, a coalition of former Soviet republics is now challenging this long-standing status quo. The countries involved in the de-dollarization initiative include Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Ukraine. Their collective goal is to strengthen domestic monetary systems, reduce economic dependency on the United States, and foster a more resilient regional trade network. While this is not an immediate farewell to the dollar, it repre...

Country Tariffs Charged to the US (%) US Discounted Reciprocal Tariffs (%) China 67 34 European Union 39 20 Vietnam 90 46 Taiwan 64 32 Japan 46 24 India 52 26 South Korea 50 25 Thailand 72 36 Switzerland 61 31 Indonesia 64 32 Malaysia 47 24 Cambodia 97 49 United Kingdom 10 10 South Africa 60 30 Brazil 10 10 Bangladesh 74 37 Singapore 10 10 Israel 33 17 Philippines 34 17 Chile 10 10 Australia 10 10 Pakistan 58 29 Turkey 10 10 Sri Lanka 88 44 Colombia 10 10 Peru 10 10 Nicaragua 36 18 Norway 30 15 Costa Rica 17 10 Jordan 40 20 Dominican Republic 10 10 United Arab Emirates 10 10 New Zealand 20 10 Argentina 10 10 Ecuador 12 10 Guatemala 10 10 Honduras 10 10 Madagascar 93 47 Myanmar (Burma) 88 44 Tunisia 55 28 Kazakhstan 54 27 Serbia 74 37 Egypt 10 10 Saudi Arabia 10 10 El Salvador 10 10 Côte d'Ivoire 41 21 Laos 95 48 Botswana 74 37 Trinidad and Tobago 12 10 Morocco 10 10 Papua New Guinea 15 10 Malawi 34 17 Liberia 10 10 British Virgin Islands 10 10 Afghanistan 49 10 Zimbabwe 35 18 Beni...